G`day Folks, Welcome to another episode of Gormo`s Shed. In this episode we look at creating simple model trees from grape stalks. It was my daughter, in fact, who gave me this idea quite some time ago, and I`ve only recently come around to having a go at it. The grape stalks I am using have come off green grapes. Whether the stalks vary from green grapes to red grapes, I`m not sure, but I guess if they are different.??, the process would be the same. First part of the process is to save the stalk when the grapes have been removed. I have found that it takes a couple of days to dry out and lose it suppleness, however during that drying out period is the best time to re-shape the stalk and branches if necessary. I`ve found they nearly always have a bend in the trunk, but it can easily be straightened with your fingers and left to dry out. I say a couple of days for drying, but that is based on Sydney weather which is extremely hot at the moment, so you may have to factor in local conditions in your particular part of the world. The next stage is to use spray adhesive to add flocking / foliage of your choice….and that`s it folks…….done !!!! It doesn`t get much easier or cheaper than that. Now these trees can be regarded as saplings if you like or they can be used as background trees or indeed just as a means of introducing some variety of size and shape to your diorama. I feel they are ideally suited to N Gauge by virtue of the fact that the trunks are thin. That said, not all trees start out growing with a fat trunk, so in OO/HO they could be regarded as young trees, or in fact in O Gauge they could be seen a rather thin saplings. The over riding factors are that they bring variety to your scenery and they cost peanuts to produce, even though we`re talking about grapes and not peanuts. Anyway all this talk of food is making me hungry, so I`ll just put on the video. Gormo
Gormo ... what can I say you are a saviour indeed, what a fantastic idea and it comes at a time when I'm planning a new layout diorama which will need loads of vegetation to make the scene work properly. Another plus here is that I have a vine in the greenhouse which grows profusely and right now is dormant and needs cutting back. Thank you for the inspiration it is much appreciated.
No worries York Paul, As I stated, it`s not my idea, my daughter heard about it somewhere, and I`ve learnt this morning that other people have been doing it for some time. However, it`s new for a lot of us, so that`s why we share it here on the forum. You`re lucky to have your own supply of scenery growing in the greenhouse... I must say I have no idea how long these trees will last. I feel the liberal spraying of adhesive during the first step and subsequent steps of the process, will go some way towards sealing the stalks and therefore provide a reasonable life for the trees. We don`t know until we try and the cost benefits far outweigh the longevity factor. Gormo
Thanks there Gormo I do wonder if once the sap has dropped the only bits that will fall off are the tendrils, a good coating of PVA should create additional strength as you say... maybe a few tests under different humidity conditions are in order.
I think future condition will definitely be a factor, having found old discarded grape vines in the past (lost under things/behind bins, etc) I can definitely say they 'curl' with age. Not sure glue will stop the inevitable degradation of the cells, as it is a plant and not a shrub/tree. I think they will be a point were their grotesque withering will demand a replant within 2-3 years . I think it would help if the stem was stabilised by "embalming". there is a product out there, that can be soaked into "rotted" wood and makes it strong again, or perhaps dipping in some sort of resin would extend the longevity?
Hi gormo I used grape stalk on my first layout 2yrs ago I sprayed It with hairspray put the flocking on and resprayed it with hairspray and it looks as good today a it did when i made it captain pugwash
Well there you go folks, Captain Pugwash has done the long term testing for us........that sounds promising....thank you for the info....... Gormo
Thanks Captain, That tree seems to have survived quite well and appears to have a good life left in it. Gormo